Story Starters for All Genres!

How’s that writing practice going, friends? Oh, you’re not doing it yet? No problem! Oh, you’re practicing but not sure where to go next? Also no problem! We gotchu!

No matter what genre you like—romance, fairy tales, thrillers, or all of the above—here are some story starters and writing prompts to get those creative wheels spinning:

If you love fantasy:

The fairies were not always this nice. In fact, once they were known for their sour attitude.

“Um, I’m really sorry about your house,” she said, trying to put it back together. “I didn’t know you lived there. I was just trying to find . . .”

Purple and black smoke curled up into the air. The witches looked like three tall, crooked, dancing trees. “You are too good, little girl,” they sneered. “You are afraid of us. But, truly, you are afraid of yourself. You are one of us.” She started to run, when suddenly . . .

Write about your earliest memory, as if you were a guardian spirit tasked to watch over you.

If you love thrillers:

He looked back and saw his footprints, shiny and clear on the dark floor. What is that? he thought, reaching down to touch the bottom of his shoe. Blood. “Oh my god.”

You are the door of a bank vault. Describe the heist you witnessed.

If you love sci-fi:

She woke up suddenly, sure she had just heard someone screaming. As she opened her eyes, she saw Earth, like a small blue marble outside the window. Then she heard someone—no, something—trying to come into her room.

“Whoa!” he shouted. “Did you just see that?!”“Yeah,” she said. “Have you always been able to do that?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “I think it started when . . .”

If you love romance:

As their lips parted, she looked into her eyes. They were like the sea, deep and changing, with a burst of brown, like an island right in the center. “Your eyes . . . ,” she started to say, but her alarm clock jolted her awake.

“Just get out of my sight!” she said. “Please. It’s too painful to look at you. I thought I knew who you were, but I don’t at all.” “No, no, no!” he shouted. “You have to believe me! Please, I’m begging you, don’t leave!” She stared at him, refusing to cry, and reached for her coat. She paused . . .

If you love memoir:

Write about your first crush as a series of diary entries or imagined letters that you never sent.

Tell the story of your relationship with your best friend, from your first meeting all the way to now.

Write about an embarrassing moment from your past. Take the form of your current self, consoling your past self about the moment.